


Two Reapers

by Astre_Red



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Gen, can be seen as platonic or romantic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:21:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26017954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Astre_Red/pseuds/Astre_Red
Summary: “First of all, you KNEW the Undertaker ?! You were friends ?!”Othello doesn't answer, just blinks with surprise and asks “Oh, were you not a reaper yet ?” with his eternal smile even as Grell glares at him.(He wonders, briefly, what he should say. “Friend”, this stupid word, doesn't fit his and Whitey's relationship. But again, neither does the word enemy. Really, nothing can explain it.)Othello and Undertaker.
Relationships: Othello (Kuroshitsuji) & Undertaker (Kuroshitsuji), Othello/Undertaker (Kuroshitsuji)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 52





	Two Reapers

Othello and After-Life Citizen #136649 are not friends. Actually, it takes them a few years into the organization to interact. After all, grim reapers from different divisions rarely need to talk to each other.

They know of each other, obviously -the perfect grim reaper and the crazy scientist- but beyond that there is nothing to connect them besides their status of reapers.

The first time they talk -really talk besides seeing each other in the dusty corridors- is in one of the numerous lab of the organization. There are a lot even though Othello mostly works in the same one.

He's alone when the other enters, partially because his colleagues have work to do elsewhere and mostly because they didn't want to stick around him. Which is fine with him -he likes them as much as they like him.

It's easy to recognize him. There's not a lot of reapers with white/silver hair, especially this length. And if anything, his impassible face is what gives him away the most.

“You look like you don't know what laughter is.” Othello says with a smile, because he has always been good at pointing out what needed to be point out -at least in his opinion.

After-Life Citizen #136649 doesn't smile back. He stares coldly at Othello, almost a glare but not quite, and that would scare most people into bowing and letting him have his way, but Othello isn't most people.

“You should laugh sometimes. What's life without laughter ?”

After-Life Citizen #136649 does glare this time, and Othello is surprised by the utter lack of actual irritation. It looks more like he is irritated because he is supposed to be rather beause he actually is.

“I'm not here for that and you know it.” he answers, voice dull, and Othello smiles wider.

“True. So what'd ya want ?”

Mechanically, he hands Othello a package and explains.

“This is something the Retrieval Division found recently. The Forensics Division is tasked to examine it.”

“You really should laugh more.” the green-haired scientist insists while taking the package “You sound like a robot.”

He doesn't answer and turns to leave before Othello calls him back.

“I need your name you know ! Everyone outside the division that goes in the lab has to register.”

After-Life Citizen #136649 stares coldly at him -beginning to get used to that- and slowly answers “After-Life Citizen #136649”.

“How boring. And way too long ! I'll just call you Whitey.”

“You will not.” Whitey interrupts sharply. It's the first real emotion Othello heard from him since he walked into the lab, and he grins.

“It suits you though.” he says, and Whitey turns and walks away. How rude.

(Othello does, in fact, register him as After-Life Citizen #136649, but it's more because he doesn't want troubles with the superiors than because he's afraid of Whitey.)

* * *

Their second meeting is less funny and more worrying. It's a few weeks after, or maybe more -it's not like Othello is keeping track.

The scientist is leaving the lab late and last, like always, when he almost crashes into someone when turning around a corner.

A strong hand grabs his less-than-strong arm, and Othello blinks before looking up.

“Whitey !” he beams, and the other examines him briefly before letting go of his arm. He's the same as last time, long hair tucked in a ponytail, face as serious as ever, but something else catches Othello's attention.

“Wow, you look tired.” and isn't that an understatement. He's pretty sure that he never saw such bags under eyes, and he himself stays awake for days to work on something. “Even the best grim reaper has to sleep, you know.”

Whitey frowns and continues to stare at him.

“Why are you here ?” he asks, which surprises Othello. He didn't expect the guy to actually try and hold conversation, but hey, good for him.

“I work after hours. I'm very dedicated to my work !” and it's not like he has anything better to do, but he's not about to tell him that.

“You shouldn't. Even grim reapers need sleep.”

Othello sends him and incredulous look.

“I don't want to hear that from you !”

Something flickers on Whitey's face, too quick to identify. It almost looks like a smile, but Othello sincerely doubts it.

“Where are you going anyways ? You look dead on your feet.” he grins even as Whitey sends him a flat look.

“Mission in the human world.” he answers and Othello frowns.

“Seriously ? Do you ever do something besides working ?”

“Do you ?” Whitey retorts, and Othello pauses. The other leaves before he can answer, but he still yells at his back.

“At least _I_ sleep !”

* * *

Their third meeting is what reinforce their “friendship” or whatever their relationship is. And it's far from funny.

Othello knows, obviously, that the fact that his scythe hasn't changed since his academy days isn't common. Not rare, since a few others forensics are in the same case, but not common.

So he isn't surprised when a man whose name he can't be bothered to remember sneers at him on one of the numerous nights where he works after hours.

He comes to the lab with a smug grin. Othello knows his sort, these people -often from the Retrieval Division- who looks down on the forensics for being “so weak”. Othello would tell him that their division is as important -if not more- than theirs if he thought he had the braincells to understand. Which he really doesn't. So he just ignores him.

He expects the yelling. He doesn't expect the hit.

He falls and braces himself on the table -he faintly notices bottles falling and papers russling, but his ears are ringing and his arm hurts like hell so he doesn't care- but the fool isn't done yet. He grabs Othello by his front shirt and yells something. Yelling seems to be the one thing he's good at.

Oh. Judging by his expression he said it outloud.

This time, Othello is ready to fight back. His scythe is small but that doesn't mean he's defenseless. He pushes the fool away and gets up -his ears are still ringing, he almost starts to worry- before turning his gaze to his attacker, ready to strike. He freezes.

Someone got to it first.

The way that Whitey holds the other's wrist has to be painful, on the verge of breaking. It's probably meant to be. But that's not what takes Othello aback. It's the pure rage on his usually impassible face

“What do you think you're doing ?” Whitey slowly asks to the rapidly paling reaper, who stopped struggling once he recognized who exactly was holding him.

“I-” he starts, then stops and shoots a panicked look at Othello, as if asking him for help. Ha. You dig your own grave, now stay in it.

But then Whitey's grip becomes even more strong and while Othello doesn't care if they get in trouble, he doesn't want Whitey to be in it because of him and a stupidly arrogant reaper.

“It's okay.” he says, and Whitey glances at him before letting go. The fool scrambles backwards and runs away. They watch him disappear, and a strange silence falls.

“Does this happen often ?” Whitey asks, and Othello smiles bitterly.

“There are idiots everywhere.” his answer doesn't seem to satisfy him, but he doesn't say anything else.

They walk to the dormitories together. The following nights, Whitey waits for him and accompanies him until he's back among his colleagues.

* * *

After that, they meet often, either in the lab or in the corridor. They don't seek each other during daylights to avoid useless gossip, but they talk at night while most reapers sleep away.

“You interested in science ?” Othello asks one day after Whitey's many questions. The reaper hums softly.

“I suppose I am. It is interesting, and quite different from human's science after all.”

Othello beams. Whitey talks a lot more now that they established some sort of common ground, and he had been delighted to hear that science was something Whitey was interested in.

“Right ?! There's so much to experience !”

It's much later, after many similar talks, that Whitey asks a question that makes Othello pauses.

“Have you ever thought of doing experiencing on the dead ?”

It's not a bad question, albeit a strange one. But it still makes something in Othello twist, though he doesn't know why.

“No. I mean, yes, but some things are better left alone. Don't you think so ?”

(Later, Othello would wonder if this was the moment where the idea first crossed Undertaker's mind.)

* * *

Things start to go badly when Whitey abruptly stops visiting him during almost a month. Othello worries, but when he comes back he smiles and waves widely.

“Hey ! Thought you were going to abandon him Whitey !”

“Of course not. That would be dreadful of me, right ?”

And Othello blinks, because Whitey is smiling.

It's no that Whitey never smiles ; he started smiling more often once he and Othello grew closer, and it always made him happy. But the smile he's wearing now is wide and cold, unlike the few ones he gave before -those were small but so warm.

“You okay ?” he asks, and Whitey nods, still smiling.

The conversation starts like usual even though Othello can't get rid of his anxiousness.

“What's the difference between the dead and the living ?”

Othello pauses, taken aback. He smiles, thinking of it as a joke.

“The soul, obviously. And I guess the whole corpse thing is important too !”

“But if the corpse was still functioning without the soul ?”

This time, alarms ring in Othello's head even though Whitey's idea fascinates him.

“I'm not sure. Even us don't exactly know what role the soul fulfill. If we don't know that, how can we know if someone can live without it ?”

Whitey hums, but doesn't answer. Othello's unease doesn't leave.

* * *

One night, Othello comes back to the lab after leaving because he forgot one of his notes. When he arrives, he catches a flicker of white hair abruptly leaving the lab.

He should report the intruder. He doesn't.

Days later, After-Life Citizen #136649's abrupt leave and betrayal shakes the Grim Reaper Dispatch.

* * *

(Much later, the Undertaker will stare down at him, in a manor where the dead came back to a sort of life. Othello will look at him, at his maybe once friend. He will look at his scars and tired and cold eyes and too wide smile, and wonder.

Was it worth it ?)

**Author's Note:**

> I am surprised by the lack of fics about these two. Othello is the only one alive who canonically knew Undertaker from way before, so I expected more about these two.
> 
> (I didn't have inspiration for the title)
> 
> I hope you liked it ! Tell me in the comments !


End file.
